West Chester at Holy Family
Game Details: September 27 I 5 P.M.
Location: Campus Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Watch
Series: WCU leads 15-1 (since 2007)
West Chester Links: News I Roster I Schedule I Stats
HFU Links: News I Roster I Schedule I Stats
West Chester at Goldey-Beacom
Game Details: September 28 I 11 A.M.
Location: Joseph West Jones Center (Wilmington, Del.)
Game Links: Live Stats I Watch
Series: WCU leads 18-0 (since 2006)
Goldey-Beacom Links: News I Roster I Schedule I Stats
Last Time Out
West Chester traveled to Millersville on Wednesday night as the proud owners of a three-match winning streak, looking to extend its streak to four and open PSAC East play with a win for the fourth year in a row. West Chester won the second set and led for much of the first set but fell to the host Marauders by a 3-1 final after dropping a pair of 25-23 decisions in the first and third sets and a 25-11 result in the fourth set. Anna Richardson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) tied with Zoe Haines (York, Pa./York Suburban) for the team lead in kills with 13 each, while Lacie Brown (Cochranville, Pa./Avon Grove) led the team in assists (45) and digs (15) for her third double-double in as many matches.
Lacie’s Lead
Brown, who joined West Chester as a junior transfer from Division III and two-time defending National Champion Juniata, is on an excellent stretch over the last few matches, earning PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors for her troubles. In three matches last weekend, Brown averaged 35.6 assists per match, along with 23 digs, 10 kills, and four aces.
Flock Talk
West Chester heads into the weekend looking to climb above .500 for the first time this season, entering play at 5-6 on the year despite winning three of its last four matches. Richardson and Brown have both been tremendous additions for West Chester this season as Richardson leads the team in kills with 105, while Brown leads in assists with 239 and sits second on the team in digs (79) and third in aces (10). Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton), who returned to the Golden Rams for a graduate season this year, remains the starting libero and has picked up right where she left off a year ago, leading the group in digs with 157 while also registering 35 assists and eight aces.
Road Warriors
This weekend, West Chester will complete its nine-match road trip with a pair of local trips around the Greater Philadelphia area. West Chester returns home on October 2 to face Lincoln, but this will be a quick stop in Hollinger as the team will take to the road for its next four PSAC East matches, not playing its East opener until October 18 vs East Stroudsburg beginning at 6 p.m.
Series History
West Chester is 15-1 all-time vs Holy Family and 18-0 vs Goldey Beacom, including a 3-1 road victory over the Lightning earlier this season.
Scouting Holy Family
West Chester heads into Philadelphia on Friday evening to take on a 2-9 Holy Family team that is looking to halt a nine-match losing streak and earn its first victory since an opening-day sweep of Kutztown and St. Thomas Aquinas inside the Campus Center. Similar to West Chester, Holy Family was in action earlier this week, traveling to Queens for a non-league battle against the Knights in Flushing, New York. Holy Family dropped this match by a 3-0 final (25-12, 25-18, 25-22) to fall to 2-9 on the season. Gianna DiPilato leads Holy Family in kills with 93, while Morgan Steck runs the offense, leading the way with 279 assists on the year. Cadence Palmer leads the team in digs with 110 while also tying with Steck for the team lead in aces with 13 each.
Scouting Goldey-Beacom
Goldey-Beacom heads into the day on Saturday looking to move above .500 on the year as well, entering with a mark of 6-6 on the year following losses in each of its last two matchups against U Indy and CACC foe Chestnut Hill. GBC lost to Chestnut Hill on Tuesday night by a 3-2 final despite capturing the opening set by a 25-21 final. The Lightning took an early 1-0 lead in the match but dropped each of the next two sets before winning the fourth to force a decisive fifth set. In the fifth, Chestnut Hill outlasted the upset-minded Lightning, winning by a 15-12 final to hold on for a 3-2 match victory.
Little has changed since the last time the two non-league foes met earlier this month, as Caitlyn Burch and Piper Nanouski lead the team in kills with 151 and 138, while Burch also leads in blocks with 42.0. Ada Koksal leads in assists with 390 on the year, while Gaby Fernandez leads the team in aces (14) and digs (233), ranking second in digs with 51 on the year.
